Parents' Guide to

Jr. Detective Agency

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Silly, fun parody of noir films, with some bullying.

Movie G 2011 86 minutes
Jr. Detective Agency Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 9+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Lord6522
Lord6522 Adult
May 24, 2020
age 14+

Sexy stuff

Ok i am the only review that i know of that is speaking against they sexy stuff. Pros A little funny Cons 1. kids going to secret building and kiss 1 time. 2. Man talks about dating the news woman he does not know on live tv. 2. Kid lies to parents at least twice. 3. Kid sneaks out of the house Against parents desire to solve crime. This was the biggest problem for me. If this is ok with you then this way be a move for you. This caught me off guard because no one reported this on this review site. But i am reporting about it. Besides this stuff it was ok. Acting was low budget at some parts. But kinda funny. My kids liked it.

This title has:

Too much sex
Jenkins2
Jenkins2 Adult
September 23, 2018
age 6+

Goofy and harmless

This movie will never be winning any Oscars, but my kids like it. I enjoyed watching a silly movie with them that wasn’t another robot cartoon.
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Trying to emulate his father, Sam Steele Jr.(Jacob Hays) runs the JR. DETECTIVE AGENCY, where he goes around his neighborhood trying to solve cases involving "bullies and thieves," with mixed results. Meanwhile, a mysterious French-accented thief known only as "The Cat" (Luke Perry) is stealing jewelry and art from museums all over Des Moines, and Sam's father is one of the detectives trying to crack the case. When new girl in the neighborhood Emma teams up with Sam and comes across an important tip, it's Sam Jr.'s chance to try and catch the elusive thief before he steals an original Michelangelo painting.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (4):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Jr. Detective Agency is most enjoyable when the 13-year-old aspiring detective has internal monologues attempting the hard-boiled noir-speak of Raymond Chandler novels. It's ludicrously cute as he does this, and it nearly makes up for the phoned-in French accent of Luke Perry, to say nothing of the terrible acting of the second-tier characters.

Still, as a kid-version of noir, Jr. Detective Agency has enough charming moments to be entertaining for both kids and adults.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Sam's interest in becoming a detective. Talk about some of the choices he makes in pursuit of his dream. How do his friends and family help him along the way? What lessons can kids learn from Sam's adventures?

  • Who does Sam admire in this movie? Do you think his role models are positive ones? Who are your real-life role models?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate